Sailors heed this

After weeks of rain, the sky tonight is calm. Is the end in sight?

Red sky at night, sailor's delight. Red in the morning, sailors take warning ...

the giant schnauzer is sleeping. She got a surprise stop at the dog park this evening. After being dictated to by the rumbling skies, it was nice to catch a break in the weather and let loose. She ran with abandon, and now is happily asleep. Noises in the kitchen cannot even roust her. This is some serious fatigue.

Maybe a quick stop at the "DP" in the afternoon is a good plan?

What to do on a rainy weekend?

Nap.

Do errands. (Like take the crate to the storage space. You have to get in the car and drive to get there. It was something to do, at least.)

Nap.

Nap some more.

Don't feel bad for Madison. She has always preferred sleeping on the floor. She will snooze on the sofa for a minute, move to her to cushion for a moment. But the really good zzzzz's are taken spread out on the cool tile right by the door to the air-handler closet. There's a nice kind of breeze there, which works out well for a warm-bodied sweetheart like Madison.

Because I'm a really really good girl

Madison heard that there was a conversation, kind of a revelation, discussed.

Madison doesn't go into her kennel anymore. She hasn't for weeks. And she hasn't been put in her kennel for almost two months.

She is a quiet sofa-sleeper. She gets up very elegantly, stretches out and snoozes gently. She is not a rowdy house dog. She is on the charm school, sweet behaviour plan.


She has grown up markedly, no longer chewing and behaving very well. She understands "place" which is a leopard spotted cushion in the living room.


Besides, the humans are condo dwellers. Square footage comes at a premium, notes H-Mom. And the four of us are living in just under 1200 square feet. There is no wonderful place for the kennel, which is the largest size kennel they make, of course.

And now it is folded up, leaning against the bar, waiting to be put away, indefinately.

H-mom feels kind of like it's putting away a crib. Kind of sad. Kind of risky. And certainly a sign that real puppy days are waning.


So it looks like the kennel is going to the storage space.

Why Goofy, as H-Mom Aserts?

Well, first, this was supposed to be a WALK. Find large dry palm frond, and look what happens. No more walk ... H-Mom can wait, thank you very much. Madison has better things to do.

This stunt is called "grass roll" and it is best done with a prop, like a big crunchy palm frond.

Practical applications: WAIT

Madison gets up with H-mom at 5:30, to get the teen-human up and ready for school and out the door. She leaves a few minutes before the slow and tired and sleepy teen-human, and walks with H-mom up to the corner to make sure that the school bus waits. WAITS. Madison understands that command. "WAIT." She is a great help at sitting patiently and keeping the bus in line. The bus and the teen-human connect at about 6:10.

Then back up to the 19th floor, to watch the sun rise from the balcony door.



The dog park doesn't even open until 7am.

Can you imagine the torture of that WAIT?

The mayhem and pure joy of the following 2 hours has already been well-documented. Madison runs, swims, tousles, chases ... it's all a dog can do to fill the time with enough silly behavior. Madison's new nickname is "Goofy." H-mom will address this later.

It's home by 9am.

And then it's naptime. All day long. Snoozing, stretching, relaxing.

H-mom will just have to WAIT until Madison feels like moving.

Sticky green hitchhikers

These little things are nasty. They are flat and green and sticky and they were just looking for a lovely bearded face to get all tangled up in.

They are called "Beggar's Lice," which is a sickening name and very appropriate. H-Mom apologizes. This photo is the aftermath. It looks like cat vomit. Our apologies also to all the cats. We don't even think that cats could make this disgusting of a hairnest.




Enter Madison.

She could hardly make it home she was so distressed, biting and rubbing and trying to get the little hitchhikers out of her paws and her legs. And her beard and her moustache. So not right.

It took H-Mom an hour with the fine tooth comb, and the world was right again.

Where to walk? Down the middle of the highway?

We hate these things.

Duck leg dinner

Outdoor World sells these great foam ducks, for training retrieval skills. At the dog lake, the dogs love to swim and bring this wonderful thing back. Lexik launches from the shore and goes after Duck with determination. Nick "land sharks," ankle deep in the water, right under the roots along the shore, trying to get a headstart on the duck fetching. Some of the dogs are happy to jump in and swim along, watching the game. Madison lurks onshore. Her ploy? Grab Duck and eat it. Shake it, kill it, destroy it.

Duck has held up pretty well, with chunks of varying sizes missing from one day to the next.

Today however, the death bell tolled for Duck.

Madison came home with a drumstick. She is such a naughty dog.

H-Mom is looking for retrieval ducks on eBay.

PS. H-Mom is working on a blog about summer grooming. If you have a photo of the perfect summer dog cut that you would like to have published (and she'll put a link to your blog, too, if you want!) just email it to annerosewrites@gmail.com ... she can just use one and she's put herself on a deadline, lol ... Madison is amused.

Wordless Wednesday

When one door closes, another opens

H-mom is now a FORMER employee of the art gallery. Things went were things were going (down the tubes) and she was "laid off." Three years was a pretty good gig, but it's time to get motivated on something different.

With timing that is impeccable, today H-Mom's new page is UP! She is now the "Miami Dog Care Examiner" for Examiner.com.

Isn't this cool? She will be blogging for Examiner.com about 4 times a week. That's a lot of little articles, so link to the page, read the blog, share it around ... she needs HITS!

H-mom is NOT paying attention

H-Mom kind of has her head in the clouds these last few weeks. She is trying to think of ways to make some extra cash, to keep Madison in fancy collars, gourmet treats and smart haircuts.

So. She is going to start selling lia sophia jewelry. There is nothing in the catalog for dogs, though. Madison is disappointed. Not even a bejeweled collar.

And H-Mom is going to start writing a column for examiner.com. She is now the "Miami Dog Care Examiner." She promises to put up a link and let everyone know what it's all about ... she's been writing and organizing and all kinds of stuff.

And this is what happens. H-Mom has Madison out for a long walk, the "Rio Vista Super Walk," she calls it. And H-Mom is not paying attention. And Madison is just kind of happily ambling alongside, sniffing and snorking and taking a shoulder roll into the grass when she can get away with it quickly.

When: ATTACK.

A pair of blue jays flies out of the hedge and goes straight for Madison's hamhocks. Pecking and screeching. H-Mom was startled right back into this world. And Madison snapped her huge chompers into the air and thought that perhaps BLUE JAY would be a good afternoon snack.

Of course, there are no photos. And there is no one to attest that this happened, and that the very large black Schnauzer was accosted by two determined, fearless and noisy little blue jays.

These birds are evil. They are mean and spiteful and totally misdirected. They need therapy.

H-Mom and Madison hurried along. Fortunately, not a feather was disturbed, and Madison had pretty much forgotten and forgiven by the next opportunity for a shoulder roll.

So H-Mom is swiping a photo from the net (thank you google images) and she is apologizing to Madison for not paying attention.